Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides job protection and benefits coverage to eligible employees. The intent of the law is to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by ensuring their right to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons.

FMLA allows an employee to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave a year for such things as the birth of a child, military duty, or serious illness or injury to the employee or an immediate family member. Employees can take up to 26 weeks a year to care for a covered military service member with a serious injury or illness. The University of Minnesota defines its FMLA benefit year the same as the University's fiscal year (July 1–June 30).

Employees do not have to take all their FMLA leave at once. They can take it intermittently or as part of a reduced work schedule if medically necessary.

Though FMLA leave is unpaid, the law ensures that employees can keep their health insurance while they are gone and that they will have the same or equivalent job and pay when they return.

Before Leave

1. The employee submits an FMLA leave request via MyU.
   To begin the FMLA process, an employee:
   1. Submits a request for FMLA leave via the My Time tab in MyU, by clicking on the Request a Leave of Absence link. (See How to Request a Leave of Absence Using MyU.) A leave specialist will then contact the employee and supervisor about next steps, OR
   2. Tells their immediate supervisor. The supervisor should then encourage the employee to submit a request via MyU.
   
   If the employee is not able to submit a request in MyU > MyTime, due to an emergency, the supervisor can have a request submitted by emailing the Leave Administration team in the Office of Human Resources at leaveadmin@umn.edu or by calling 612-624-8647 or 800-756-2363 (choose option 2), Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m.
   
   If possible, employees should give at least 30 days' notice of an FMLA-covered absence, such as for the birth or adoption of a child or for planned medical treatment for them or a family member. When it is not practical to give 30 days' notice, or when the need to be absent is not planned, employees should give notice as soon as they can.
   
   Note: Even when the employee has not requested a leave under FMLA, if the supervisor knows or has reason to believe that the employee is out of work for an FMLA-qualifying reason, the supervisor should proceed as if a request for FMLA was received and contact the Leave Administration team.
2. The OHR Leave Administration team determines if the absence qualifies for FMLA and if the employee needs to show certifying documents.
   Within five business days of being notified by the employee or supervisor, the Leave Administration team will send the appropriate paperwork.
   
   The leave specialist will keep the supervisor and unit HR staff informed of the status of the FMLA request.
3. The Leave Administration team enters FMLA leave information into HRMS.
4. The employee returns any requested certifying documents within 15 business days.  

End of Leave

1. The employee needs to contact their leave specialist and supervisor before their expected return to work.
   The employee should confirm a return date or explain the medical necessity of more leave beyond 12 weeks.
2. The leave specialist and supervisor coordinate on the employee's return to work.
   Under FMLA, the employee must return to the same or equivalent position as before the leave (see "Return to Work" below). If the employee is returning to an equivalent job, rather than the same job, the supervisor and employee should discuss the terms of the new position.
3. The Leave Administration team keeps FMLA documents on file.
   The employee's FMLA documentation will be retained for at least three years.

• Recognizing an FMLA-qualifying event
• Guiding the employee to submit a leave of absence request using MyU > My Time.
• Notifying the department administrator or human resources representative of an employee's absence for an FMLA-qualifying event
• Providing an appropriate placement when the employee returns to work

During an FMLA absence, employees are responsible for:

• Providing 30 days' notice for an FMLA-covered absence when the need is foreseeable, such as the birth of a child, placement of a child for adoption or foster care, or for planned medical treatment for a serious health condition of the employee or a family member. When it is not practical to provide 30 days' notice, or when the need to be absent is not foreseeable, notice must be given as soon as practical. If an employee does not provide at least 30 days' notice of a foreseeable FMLA absence, the employee can be asked to explain the reason for the delay.
• Providing the University with enough information to determine that an absence is covered by the FMLA 
• For planned medical treatment, consulting with the department to minimize the disruption to business operations
• Following their unit's call-in procedures when unable to work
• Keeping the leave specialist, supervisor, and HR staff notified of the anticipated timing and duration of the absence and return to work

The FMLA applies to all employees of the University of Minnesota who meet the eligibility requirements. For employees covered by collective bargaining, if the information on this web page differs from the agreement for their bargaining unit, the bargaining agreement governs.

An employee is eligible for FMLA when both of these conditions are met:

1. The employee has worked for the University for at least 12 months over the past seven years as of the date the FMLA leave is to start, and
2. The employee has worked for the U at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months immediately before the date the FMLA leave is to start.

Determining FMLA Eligibility

Use the following rules to calculate:

12 Months of Employment

• The 12 months do not have to be consecutive. (However, do not count work performed prior to a break in service of more than seven years—not including military duty.)
• Part-time, temporary, or seasonal work counts toward the 12 months of employment.
• If an employee was on the payroll for any part of a week, that week counts as employment.
• Any combination of 52 weeks equals 12 months.
• Breaks in service due to military duty in the National Guard or Reserves are counted toward the employee's 12 months, just as if the employee had been working during that time.
• If the employee has worked fewer than 12 months but needs to take a leave of absence for an FMLA-qualifying event, they may meet the 12-month requirement while they are absent from work. Their time away from work counts toward their length of employment.

1,250 Hours of Employment

• 1,250 hours averages to a little more than 24 hours of work a week in the 12-month period, or 31.25 weeks of full-time work (40 hours a week).
• Count all paid hours toward the 1,250 hours: including overtime, vacation, sick leave, holidays, or any other type of paid time off.
• Time worked as a part-time, temporary, or seasonal employee counts toward the requirement.
• An employee returning from military duty is credited with the hours they would have worked during that time.

If the employee does not meet these eligibility requirements, a department cannot designate the leave as FMLA. However, the department may grant the employee personal leave.

FMLA covers employees for up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave from work during each University fiscal year (July 1–June 30) for these situations:

• The birth of a child and time to bond with the newborn child within one year of birth
• The placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and time to bond with the child within a year of placement
• A serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of their job, including incapacity due to pregnancy and for prenatal medical care
• The need to care for the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent who has a serious health condition, including incapacity due to pregnancy and for prenatal medical care
• A qualifying situation due to an employee’s family member being called to military active duty (see "Military Family Leave" below)

FMLA also allows up to 26 weeks of leave in a single 12-month period to care for a service member with a serious injury or illness if the employee is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of the service member.

Under FMLA, the employer designates the 12-month period during which its employees are entitled to be absent from work for up to 12 weeks. The University designates its fiscal year as the FMLA benefit year. This means an employee is eligible for 12 weeks of FMLA leave (26 weeks to care for a service member) during each fiscal year, from July 1 through June 30.

FMLA coverage does not carry over from one benefit year to the next. Beginning July 1, the employee cannot continue any unused FMLA leave from the previous benefit year. The employee has 12 weeks of FMLA eligibility beginning the first day of the new FMLA benefit year.

Stacking of FMLA Coverage

Employees can "stack" their FMLA leave to receive more than 12 weeks of FMLA coverage for a single FMLA-qualifying event if their FMLA absence overlaps two fiscal years.

Example: The University's fiscal year starts on July 1. If an employee begins FMLA leave on April 11 and returns to work on August 15, the employee would use FMLA eligibility from two FMLA benefit years. Specifically, the employee would use 81 calendar days of FMLA coverage (April 11 to June 30) of one fiscal year, followed by 45 calendar days (July 1 to August 14) of the next fiscal year. Together, the employee would be covered by FMLA for 126 calendar days, or 18 weeks.

Because FMLA leave doesn't have to be continuous, an employee may stack FMLA coverage even if they take leave for a single qualifying event intermittently across two fiscal years.

When an employee's absence begins in one FMLA benefit year and continues into the next, departments should reconfirm the employee's FMLA eligibility on July 1, the first day of the new FMLA benefit year. The employee must have worked at the University for 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months as of July 1 of the new benefit year.

A serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves:

• Inpatient care in a medical facility, or
• Continuing treatment by a health care provider that includes:
  • A period of incapacity of more than three consecutive days and any subsequent treatment or period of incapacity for the same condition
  • Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy or for prenatal care
  • Any period of incapacity or treatment due to a chronic, serious health condition
  • Permanent or long-term incapacity due to a condition for which treatment may not be effective
  • Any period of absence due to multiple treatments and recovery for restorative surgery after an accident or other injury, or a condition that would likely result in incapacity of more than three days in the absence of medical treatment

Non-Serious Conditions

These conditions do not qualify for leave under the FMLA unless complications arise:

• A cold
• Flu
• Earaches
• Upset stomach
• Minor ulcers
• Headaches other than migraines
• Routine dental or orthodontia problems
• Periodontal disease
• Eye examinations
• Routine physical examinations

Under FMLA, a family member is a:

1. Spouse: A person in a legally recognized marriage or married under common law
2. Parent: A biological, adoptive, step- or foster father or mother, or any other person who had daily responsibility for the care and financial support of the employee when they were a child. (This does not include a parent-in-law.)
3. Son or daughter: A biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child for whom the employee provides daily care and financial support. The son or daughter must be under 18 years of age or 18 or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability at the time FMLA leave is to begin.

Employees are entitled to two types of FMLA leave related to a family member’s military service:

1. A qualifying situation (see below) due to an employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent being called to active duty. This includes members of:
   • the Armed Forces
   • the National Guard or Reserves

   Qualifying situations are:

   • Short-notice deployment (issues arising from being called to active duty in seven days or less)
   • Military events and related activities, such as ceremonies, family support programs, or briefings
   • Childcare and school activities
   • Financial and legal arrangements stemming from military duty
   • Counseling for the employee, the military member, or a child due to active duty
   • Rest and recuperation leave (up to 15 days to spend time with a military member on short-term leave)
   • Post-deployment activities, such as arrival ceremonies or reintegration briefings
   • Parental care activities if a military member’s parent is incapable of self-care
   • Other activities as agreed on by the employer and employee related to active duty
2. To care for a service member (spouse, child, parent, or next of kin) with a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty. A service member includes currently serving military or a veteran discharged in the last five years who is undergoing treatment.

FMLA Benefit Year for Military Caregiver

The “single 12-month period” for military caregiver leave begins on the first day the employee takes leave for this reason and ends 12 months later (rather than the usual fiscal year established by the University as the FMLA benefit year). Military caregivers are limited to a combined 26 workweeks of leave for any FMLA-qualifying reason during the “single 12-month period.”

Under certain circumstances, an employee is entitled to take FMLA leave intermittently or by reducing their schedule. Employers must permit employees to take intermittent or reduced schedule leave:

• When there is a medical need for an employee’s own serious health condition
• To care for a spouse, parent, or child with a serious health condition
• To care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness
• For other qualifying situations

Birth, Adoption, or Foster Care

At the department’s discretion, an employee may use his or her 12 weeks of FMLA eligibility intermittently or on a reduced schedule after a birth, adoption, or foster care placement. Though it is not an entitlement under FMLA in these circumstances, we encourage departments to grant these requests if the absence will not unduly disrupt operations.

Scheduling Work

An employee who intends to be absent from work intermittently or on a reduced schedule must make a reasonable effort to schedule the absences so they don't disrupt the department’s operations.

Transfer to an Alternate Position

If an employee needs intermittent or reduced schedule leave that is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, departments can temporarily transfer them to an alternative position that better accommodates recurring periods of leave. The employee's pay and benefits must be the same, although the temporary job's duties do not have to be equivalent.

When the employee no longer needs an intermittent or reduced schedule, the employee must be restored to the same or equivalent job as the one the employee left when the leave started.

An employee may not be transferred to an alternate position when the absences are unforeseeable or unplanned, or for a qualifying situation due to military duties. Departments cannot transfer an employee to an alternative job to discourage the employee from taking leave or to create a hardship for the employee.

Once Leave Administration has learned of a potential FMLA-qualifying event, a leave specialist must determine an employee’s FMLA eligibility status and provide the employee with the document FMLA Notice of Rights and Responsibilities (pdf).

Documentation in Support of an FMLA-Qualifying Absence

The University generally does not require documentation from an employee verifying the reason for an FMLA absence. However, in some cases the University may require an employee to submit certifying documents. The University can deny FMLA leave if the employee doesn't provide the information.

The University can require documentation for:

• The employee's or an immediate family member's serious health condition
• Military family leave

The University cannot ask for documentation for leave to bond with a healthy newborn child or a child placed for adoption or foster care. However, it can request documentation to confirm the family relationship.

Procedure for Documentation

For situations in which certifying documentation is needed:

• The leave specialist requests documentation of the FMLA-qualifying leave from the employee within five business days after being notified (or, for unforeseeable leaves, within five business days after the leave starts).
  • The University can also require documentation later if a question arises about the appropriateness of the leave or its duration
• Employees provide complete and sufficient documentation within 15 calendar days after the request.
  • The department can extend that timeline if the employee's circumstances make it impractical.
• If the documentation is incomplete or insufficient, the leave specialist sends the employee written notice about what additional information is necessary.
  • An employee has seven calendar days to provide more information unless it is not practical under the circumstances.
• If additional information is not provided, FMLA leave may be denied until it is produced.
• The University may ask for a second medical certification if there are concerns about the validity of the initial documentation, and also a third medical opinion if the first and second opinions differ.

Frequency of Documentation

When an employee’s absence is for their own or a family member's serious health condition, medical documentation may not be requested more than every 30 days unless:

• The employee requests an extension of the absence
• Circumstances described by the previous medical documentation have significantly changed
• New information casts doubt on the validity of the employee’s medical documentation

However, if the original medical documentation indicated the condition will last more than 30 days, Leave Administration may not request new documentation until the minimum duration expires. The exception is if the original documentation showed the condition will last more than six months, in which case Leave Administration can request documentation every six months.

When an employee’s absence is for military family leave due to a qualifying situation or to care for a service member with a serious injury or illness, Leave Administration may ask for documentation just once.

Keeping Records of Documentation

Leave Administration will keep FMLA documentation for at least three years.

An employee must be enrolled in the UPlan to have their benefit coverage continue under the FMLA.

Benefits Payments During Paid Leave From Work

While an employee is on FMLA leave covered by paid time (such as sick or vacation time), the University continues to pay its share of benefits costs, and the employee's share will be deducted from their paycheck as usual.

Benefits Payments During Unpaid Leave

During the portion of an employee’s FMLA absence not covered by paid leave, the University remains responsible for its portion of the cost, but the employee will have to make arrangements to pay their portion of the cost. (Since the employee is no longer receiving a paycheck, their benefits payments will not be automatically deducted.)

An employee on an unpaid leave will receive a letter with information on continuation of benefits. The employee should follow the instructions in the letter to indicate what benefit coverage they want to continue. They will then be emailed a bill from Accounts Receivable showing the cost of the benefits coverage.

Recovery of Benefits Costs

The employee may be required to reimburse the University for the costs of maintaining the employee’s health and dental benefits during an unpaid leave if the employee does not return to work (for a reason other than a serious health condition of the employee, immediate family member, or service member; or for reasons beyond the employee’s control).

Regular Employees

An employee returning from an FMLA leave will be placed in the same position the employee had before the absence started, or an equivalent position. If an employee is not returned to the same position, the new position must have:

• The same compensation, including any unconditional pay increases that occurred during the employee's absence
• Substantially similar duties, working conditions, responsibilities, privileges, and status
• The same or geographically equivalent work site (such as no significant increase in commute)
• The same or equivalent shift or work schedule
• The same or equivalent opportunity for discretionary and non-discretionary payments

Temporary Employees

Temporary employees returning to work after an FMLA absence will be returned to the same or equivalent position provided the position remains a staffing need for the department.

The Leave Administration team is responsible for keeping track of FMLA usage for each of their employees, which includes entering FMLA leave in HRMS. PeopleSoft Job Data is the system of record for FMLA tracking.

Two reports can help track FMLA leaves of absence using Job Data, by college or ZDeptID:

• UM_HR_FMLA_LEAVES
• UM_HR_FMLA_MILITARY_LEAVES

The HRMS Instruction web page Queries to Monitor FMLA (pdf) shows you how to find and use each report.

• OHR Web Pages
  • Leave of Absence Assistance
  • How to Request a Leave of Absence Using MyU
  • Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
• University Policy Library
  • FMLA Leave
  • FMLA FAQ
• U.S. Department of Labor
  • FMLA website
  • FMLA poster: Employee Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act

FMLA questions? 

• Email leaveadmin@umn.edu.
• Or, call OHR’s Leave Administration team at 612-624-8647 or 800-756-2363 and choose option  No. 2, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Documents can be faxed to 952-232-4915